Thursday 14 January 2016
Finding my film crew to work on GANGSTA was VERY HARD! Harder than i initially thought, because a lot more people were involved in television that i expected, and as i began to research into who i would like to work on the series i had discovered a lot of roles that i didn’t know had sub sections.
To begin with, i took out an IMDbPRO account; so that i could look through their database and examine the cast and crew involved in television series which i liked, in order to grasp an idea of the filmmakers and crew involved in the production process. As i began looking into these series, i learned about many roles that i had either: not understood as the terminology differed when applied to the television industry, nor heard of, such as for example:
Executive producer / Show Runner:
With this term its obscure in the sense that, when applying it to the television industry, traditionally the executive producers were the chief executives, the ones who created the new program and pitched it to the television networks, supervising the creative content as well as the financial aspects of the production, taking on dual roles at times as the writer and producer. However, because of this term being applied to a wider range of roles, from those solely responsible for financing, to honorific roles, or even the creator, the term show runner has came into affect. The show runner was created to identify the producer who held ultimate management and creative authority for the program that they’re working on.
Co-executive / Supervising producer: These producers help with the writing process of the series that they’re working on. Executive producers often hire writers whom are experts within a specific genre, to help contribute towards building the story and writing the script.
Production designer: A production designer is the person who holds senior authority over the art department, working with the producer and director to establish what is required of each scene location design during the preproduction stages, handing over their designs (photographs, sketches, mood boards ext) to the Art directors who then oversee the production of the these designs working with the talent within their department.
property master: A Props master is someone who is responsible for the production of the film props. This responsibility includes purchasing, acquiring or manufacturing the props needed, and also being on set during filming incase any of the props need amending. During Preproduction the props master develops a props breakdown, mapping out the the the logical progression of each prop throughout the story i.e. if in one scene the gun prop has no blood then the next scene it needs blood and to be damaged a certain way.
Music supervisor: Music supervisors are professionals with a wide encyclopaedic knowledge of music culture and history, plus the process of licensing and negation. They are the ones responsible for finding the appropriate piece of music to match specific scenes throughout the production, whether it be a television show, movie, game or advert.
Sound supervisor / editor: A Sound supervisor / sound editor is responsible for selecting and assembling sound foley to pass onto the sound re-recording mixer. Sound supervisors typically use an organised catalog of sound recording that they have amassed over the years, and at times also record authentic foley for the production which they’re working on.
Music editor: The music editor is responsible for editing a piece of music into the scene. After the music supervisor has acquired the music, the music editor will pick apart the track and further work on it so that it fits the scene better.
sound re-recording mixer: A Sound re-recording mixer is the person whom mixes recorded dialogue, sound effects and music to create the soundtrack for a feature film, TV advert, or game.
Digital intermedia colourist: A digital intermedia colourist is another word for a colourist
Visual Effects Producer: A Visual effects producer is responsible for the project management of the VFX department, making sure that everything is running on time, dealing with the budget, and bringing the project on schedule and within the budget, working with the Visual effects supervisor to carry out the project.
Visual effects supervisor: A visual effects supervisor manages and oversees the creation of the visual effects, working with the director during pre production in order to create a list breakdown of VFX requirements that the production will need, then working with the VFX supervisor to bring in talent capable of carrying out the task, overseeing and guiding them as they complete the project.
Whilst researching all of these roles, i came across an interesting article which displayed a hierarchy breakdown of all of these roles, and how each department communicates amongst one another, taking instructions from the Executive producer at the top.
Having learnt about all of these roles definitely helped me to understand more about the process of producing television, and certainly helped me with selecting casting the Filmakerks & crew needed to bring the project GANGSTA to life.
Casting filmcrew
Of course i initially had my wist list of directors (John Woo, Gareth Evans, Quentin Tarantino), however, having done this research has helped me to understand how they would fit into working on a detailed television series, such as GANGSTA which is being commissioned for HBO, because my initial post suggests that i would like Gareth Evans as a Director, however, having looked at the business structure and work that goes into such a series, one director may not be able to harbour all of the work required to deliver constant compelling visuals, so i will need more directors, whom will be casted in to work on specific episodes to help deliver the series, which i had not fully though about prior.
Having done this research i split my required filmmakers and crew into separate sections such as:
Producers & Writers: The group responsible for producing and writing the script to the series
Directors: The individual whom will be tasked with directing specific episodes of the series GANGSTA, against their proven directing background to make sure their required skill suits the episode
Music Department: Comprised of a: Music supervisor, Composer, Music Editor, Sound Supervisor & Sound-Re-recording Mixer, they will be responsible for composing, organising and sourcing the music for the seres, and assembling sound recording in preparation for the mastering of each GANGSTA episode.
Cinematographers: Responsible for filming the series. Experienced primarily in action drama cinematography
Casting Department: They will be tasked with finding appropriate extra’s for the series, that fits the series looks
Editors: The will be responsible for editing and colour grading the footage handed to them by the cinematographers.
Art department: They will be responsible for the overall look of the series, working under the the direction of the production designer and art direction, taking information from the director and brining the creations to life.
Effects department: They will be responsible for carrying out all of the special and visual effects work, such as screen prosthetic and special FX make up and 3d special FX.
Stunt team: They will be responsible for coordinating the stunts, making sure that a thoughtful safe plan has been constructed so the actors don’t hurt themselves, plus they will be responsible for choreographing the martial arts required for the series.
Casting the film crew was a VERY LABORIOUS TASK! As it required me finding crew members for each department; not just any crew member, but proven talent with experience working within the crime, action and thriller genre. Having casted multiple talent for the same role, i had to filter through which crew member i felt was appropriate for each role, this consisted of me mainly looking at the shows they had worked on, plus the awards they’d either won, or was nominated for. Some crew members doubled up on roles such as the producer & writers department, and Gareth Evans doubling up as the editor of the episode which his working on; as he likes to cut work that he films, but besides that, everyone had been given their own unique role.
The crew selected across selected across all department totals 37 members, baring in mind that this is just the immediate crew! Whilst researching earlier into various shows, there crews spanned over 100 crew members involved in various tasks outside of the ones mentioned in my list, to which if it came down to it, the Executive producers chosen for my series would be responsible for sourcing and hiring extra talent.
